No fewer than 16 political parties are fielding candidates in the forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states on November 11, but only three are actively campaigning.
Reports say that for Bayelsa’s Creek House, the race is between the governing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), with Labour Party (LP) third in public reckoning.
In Imo State, the battle for Douglas House is a three-horse race between the APC, PDP and LP, with the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) making an appearance.
The race for Lugard House in Kogi is between the governing APC, the main opposition PDP and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Of these political parties, the APC, PDP and LP are the frontrunners. LP is making its strongest showing in Imo state, less so in Bayelsa. Nevertheless, the APC/PDP dominate. The SDP is solidly on the ground in Kogi.
In the states where they are making appearances, these parties have the political structure, the foot soldiers and the money to burn, all of which will enable each of them to lay claim to the governorship of the states through the determining factors of zoning, incumbency and fitness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In all three states, the four major parties involved in this election, the APC, PDP, LP and SDP have managed to grab national news headlines through violence, which dimension is hard to guess. Already, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to declare a nationwide strike on Wednesday, November 8, in solidarity with its president, Mr Joe Ajaero, who was brutalised by thugs and security personnel during a workers’ planned protest over a 22-month pension arrears owed by the Imo State Government.
While the bloody NLC strike was a culmination of violence by “unknown gunmen” in Imo over several months, the thuggery in Bayelsa and Kogi peaked with the entrance of formidable rivals in the election.
In Kogi, Senator Dino Melaye of the PDP and Murtala Ajaka of the SDP, as well as the recent Appeal Court victory of PDP’s Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan have significantly posed a serious threat to the governing APC in the State.
In Bayelsa, the candidacy of former Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipreye Sylva, especially after the Appeal Court affirmed his suitability for the election has drawn the battle line between the ruling PDP and APC.
Security issues
“The governorship elections in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States are three out of the eight off-cycle elections to be held in the country. None of these states’ off-cycle elections is easy,” the National Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, said last week in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, during a tour of the state to address issues of security, terrain and negative mobilisation by politicians, adding that the essence of his meeting was to exchange ideas with security agencies towards the conduct of a peaceful election.
The National Chairman is worried about the negative impact of insecurity on the November polls. That is why he is touring each of the three states to get assurances from security personnel for the security of electoral materials, staff and voters.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi said that after the Bayelsa meeting on Thursday, Professor Yakubu would go to Imo State. He had already visited Kogi.
On the issue of insecurity tour, Oyekanmi said, “With regard to your question, the INEC Chairman has already visited Kogi State. We were in Bayelsa yesterday, (Thursday) and we are currently in Imo State.”
Yakubu, who doubles as the National Chairman of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) and had previously held an expanded security meeting with security chiefs and other agencies in Abuja, deemed it necessary to take the security message down to the states to ensure that electoral materials and personnel are given adequate protection during and after the elections.
Addressing the potential threat posed by insecurity to the conduct of the polls, against the backdrop of Wednesday’s strike by NLC, the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj-Gen. Christopher Musa and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, have warned those planning to disrupt the Nov.11 governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi to keep off the states.
The CDS gave the assurance that the Armed Forces would collaborate with the police to ensure that the elections are free and fair.
He said: “The Armed Forces, the police and other security agencies will be on the ground. Every Nigerian, we are sure, is tired of elections with violence and this will make a difference.
“At the end of the day, we want every Nigerian to be proud of, first, being a Nigerian and to understand that elections are now free and fair.
“We want everybody who wins our elections to be happy that he won very well without intimidation.’’
Also, Egbetokun said that those planning any form of violence in the states would only have themselves to blame.
”We are aware of negative mobilisations by supporters of some candidates and we are already monitoring them. We are ready for them in these elections. I appeal to them to stay away from this election.
“I also appeal to the electorate to come out en masse to cast their votes during this election. We are committed to peaceful elections and there is no going back.
“We have received all necessary information from INEC, which told us where to deploy security personnel during these elections.
“We have carried out a threat assessment and that has informed us, in respect of the allocation of our resources and the deployment of our men,” he said.